Handling building materials and bulky DIY products of various shapes, sizes and weights including pipes, timber, and palletised goods can present several challenges for traditional forklifts. For builders’ merchants, where space is often at a premium and forklifts operate alongside employees, customers and delivery vehicles, safe and efficient material handling is essential.
Choosing the right equipment for each application can help businesses make better use of available storage space, streamline loading and unloading, improve turnaround times and support safer operations across their facilities.
Traditional forklifts often struggle to handle long, bulky loads. Wide turning circles limit their manoeuvrability, leading to lost time and inefficient space utilisation. When navigating tight corners or narrow aisles, operators may need to make additional manoeuvres to position the load, increasing the potential for collisions or damage to products and racking.
Additionally, the space required to manoeuvre conventional forklifts can also affect storage capacity. In a merchant yard or busy warehouse where every square metre is valuable, space allocated to wide turning areas could potentially be used for additional stock. These challenges highlight the importance of selecting material handling equipment that improves efficiency and space utilisation while prioritising operator and site safety. Cost, productivity and sustainability all have a role to play, but safety should remain a fundamental consideration.
A Safety-First Design Philosophy
At Combilift, safety is embedded at every stage of product development. The company’s design philosophy focuses on delivering solutions that improve space utilisation and productivity while helping to reduce operational risks.
With nearly three decades of industry experience, Combilift continues to invest 7% of its annual revenue in R&D, developing equipment for applications where conventional handling solutions may not be suitable.
Multidirectional Forklifts for Long Loads
Handling long and bulky materials such as timber panels or pipes presents unique challenges. Multidirectional forklifts, including the C-Series and CB range, are designed to address these demands.
These models can travel sideways, allowing operators to manoeuvre long loads through narrow aisles and doorways, and around corners without the need for overhead carrying. This reduces the risk of accidents and product damage while improving workflow efficiency. Additionally, this allows for much better and cost-effective use of all available space, and results in an all-round safer working environment.
Their low centre of gravity further enhances stability by keeping loads close to the ground during transport. Additionally, the C-Series features an integrated platform, providing a secure resting point for loads and improving overall handling safety.
Enhanced Visibility for Safer Operation
Clear visibility is critical in busy yards and warehouses. Operators must maintain a constant line of sight to the load, forks, and surrounding environment to ensure the safety of nearby personnel. The elevated cab position on C-Series models, combined with expansive glazing, ensures that even when transporting large loads, the operator’s view remains unobstructed.
Pedestrian Range: Innovative Tiller Arm
In many applications, especially where forklifts operate close to pedestrians, pedestrian-operated trucks can support safer working conditions by operating at lower speeds and keeping operators closer to both the load and the surrounding environment, helping them maintain further awareness, greater visibility and react to conditions around them.
Combilift’s pedestrian range incorporates a unique patented tiller arm that significantly improves safety in narrow aisles. At the touch of a button, the tiller arm can rotate left or right, allowing the rear wheel to pivot parallel to the chassis.
This enables operators to work from the side of the truck rather than the rear and out of the crush zone, reducing the risk of becoming trapped between the machine and racking. It also ensures clear visibility of both the load and surrounding workspace at all times.
Maximising Space, Efficiency and Safety
With land becoming increasingly expensive, maximising available capacity while maintaining safe and efficient handling is increasingly important for builders’ merchants.
Selecting equipment according to the loads, layout and operating environment can help businesses optimise their existing footprint while improving material flow and supporting safer working practices.
To find out how Combilift’s range can improve the safety of your material handling operations, visit www.combilift.com or email info@combilift.com today.
